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Want the whole story? Read on. Short on time? Check the summary. 

What Happened:

Fell in love with music.

Where:

Long Beach, California

What I Did: 

Taught myself guitar • Attended numerous all-ages punk shows, including first rock 'n' roll riot during Bad Religion @ Fender’s Ballroom.

knowledge gained: 

Playing guitar is hard! • Do not under any circumstances make eye contact with super scary Black Flag fans, most of whom want to beat you up.

Revelations:

I want to spend my life in music.

First guitar. Note homemade Minutemen shirt.

Still playing guitar - noticing a theme?

WHAT HAPPENED:

Attended UC Berkeley (Art History, emphasis on modern 1900-1945, graduated with honors), including a year abroad at University of Melbourne, Australia

Where:

Berkeley, California

Melbourne, Australia

 

What I Did:

Studied • Partied (see: Australia) • DJ’d at UC Berkeley radio station KALX every Tuesday from 6-9am • Worked @ Rasputin Records for 3 years • Saw a million shows

knowledge gained:

Thorough understanding of the radio and music retail worlds, including promotion, marketing, charts and supply chain • Every freshman will at some point purchase (or stream) the Violent Femmes’ first record

 

Revelations:

You can actually get paid to talk about music all day • Legacy artists like Pink Floyd, The Beatles, and Zeppelin still generate huge revenue •  The Church @ The Metro, Sydney, Australia •  Helmet @ The Kennel Club, SF

What Happened:

Started a band. This one kinda needs its own section.

What Happened:

Founded SnackCake!, a Berkeley-based, internationally-distributed magazine “devoted to music and snacks and those who love them.”

Where:

San Francisco, California

What I Did: 

As founder, publisher and editor-in-chief, wrangled a volunteer staff of 20 to produce this nationally-known music quarterly and San Francisco scene paper of record. Forged life-long friendships with a gazillion publicists, label reps, artist managers, and other industry stakeholders, many of whom are now senior executives. • Interviewed scores of established artists

 

knowledge gained: 

An intimate, frontline understanding of album release marketing and artist promotions • Top-shelf writing and editing skills • Publishing a magazine will hone your organizational, logistical, communication and interpersonal skills to a fine edge. It will give you both panic attacks and moments of sheer elation. It is not for the faint of heart.

Revelations:

If you want to sell magazines, be prepared to put artists you hate on the cover (I shut it down when I realized this). • Darryl McDaniels' (Run-D.M.C.) favorite snack cake is the Ho-Ho.

Hot off the press: Delivering the new issue, 22nd Street, San Francisco

WHAT HAPPENED:

Staff editor at Sonicnet/MTV News Online

Where:

San Francisco, California

 

What I Did:

Assigned and edited reviews across every genre, including jazz, classical and country; managed a team of 50+ freelance writers 

knowledge gained:

Ninja-level writing, editing and verbal communication chops • How to manage: transformed an unruly mob of freelancers into an kick-ass, cohesive editorial team

 

Revelations:

Working for a multinational media conglomerate definitely improves your access to rock stars • The Internet is the future of music journalism (and pretty much everything else)

WHAT HAPPENED:

Freelance music journalist and editor

Where:

Berkeley, California

 

What I Did:

Wrote for a slew of established publications, including SF Weekly, Raygun, CMJ, Seattle Weekly and others 

 

knowledge gained:

How to navigate the egos of artists, and the people who rep them • Networking is key: it's who you know • Publicists have a thankless job, be nice to them.

 

Revelations:

Until they get to know you, never tell an artist that you love their work; it instantly tweaks the dynamic, and they'll see you as just a fan, not a professional worthy of respect. • Guest lists are awesome; I will never pay for another show • Mark E. Smith from The Fall is actually a really nice guy (RIP)

Getting pitched by the 27th publicist of the day

WHAT HAPPENED:

Decided to explore music supervision. Moved to L.A. to work for G. Marq Roswell, top supervisor, bon vivant, and film music legend beloved by pretty much everyone.

Where:

Los Angeles, California

 

What I Did:

Learned the fundamentals of music supervision and IP licensing • Contributed to a number of films, including Spy Game (Robert Redford, Brad Pitt), Auto Focus (Greg Kinnear), Walking Tall (The Rock) and The Big White (Robin Williams) • Listened to G. Marq's endless (and endlessly entertaining) stories of his musical exploits. Holy crap.

 

knowledge gained:

Thorough education in how music is licensed for picture, including creative, rights & fee negotiation, and licensing • Everything is negotiable, and if you don't know how to effectively and skillfully communicate with the person who has what you want (whether it's a piece of Danish furniture or a song) you're dead in the water. 

 

Revelations:

It really is who you know • Music supervision is 10% creative; the other 90% is spent negotiating with rightsholders, handling paperwork, trying to convince the director/client of your vision, and dealing with all manner of headaches that arise. Think you're gonna watch movies all day and pick out cool songs? Yeah, not so much.  

With mentor, mensch, and profoundly cool person,

G. Marq Roswell

WHAT HAPPENED:

Director of A&R, Rhino Records/Warner Music

 

Where:

Los Angeles, California 

 

What I Did:

Worked on reissues, boxed sets and greatest hits packages for a multitude of Warner family artists, including Neil Young, The Ramones, Elvis Costello, The Doors, Echo & The Bunnymen, Black Sabbath, Joni Mitchell, Television, Randy Newman, Joy Division, New Order and more • Worked closely with the late, great Gary Stewart (architect of the Rhino legacy and setter of the gold standard for what a catalog division should be), and a slew of other musical heroes.

knowledge gained:

How A&R, production, marketing, promotion, licensing, business affairs, and sales all work together to make a successful release • Hang on to your ego: inter-band beefs and grudges can last a remarkably long time, and torpedo the best efforts of a huge team trying to make it work • Working with top-shelf managers, attorneys, estate reps and other stakeholders is the best music industry education you'll ever get

Revelations:

In terms of artists, there are The Greats, and then there's everyone else...and working with The Greats is pretty awesome. • Ronnie James Dio & Dee Dee Ramone = total sweethearts (RIP)

What Happened:

Co-founded Brandracket, a full-service music creative, supervision and licensing agency, and BrandsForBands.com, a library of 10,000+ curated songs from real artists, bands and record labels

Where:

Los Angeles, California

What I DO: 

Music supervision, IP licensing, and strategy for some of the world's biggest brands, including United Airlines, Activision/Blizzard, Patagonia, American Eagle Outfitters, Calvin Klein, Adidas and many others • Lead all business development efforts, generating millions in deals to date • Leverage deep relationships with hundreds of music rightsholders and other IP reps, including the Big Three major labels and all major publishers, established indies, third party synch reps, managers, attorneys, and agents, to get our clients what/who they want

knowledge gained:

Expert licensing and business development chops • Massive insight into brand marketing, particularly the rise and total hegemony of social • Bands and artists deserve to earn a fair wage for use of their music; as brokers (and musicians ourselves), we have moral obligation to advocate for them. • Music burnout is real; keep your favorite artists - the ones who inspired you to devote your life to music in the first place - separate from your day job, and revisit them when you need inspiration.

Revelations:

I can run a successful business and land clients • Don't fool yourself believing that your clients are loyal to you; they'll drop you like a hot rock if someone or something better comes along. So be the best at what you do. • Great music - like all great art - transcends the ordinary and mundane, even if you're just selling something • Working with Terrence Malick is exactly as cool as you thought it would be when you were watching The Thin Red Line for the 29th time.

Music supervision and licensing for ZeniMax Media's wildly popular Fallout game franchise

Custom music programming for United Airlines lounges and departures worldwide. 

Global provider of licensed music and music services to Boardriders (Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, DC Shoes)

The Doors

Jefferson Airplane

Charlie Parker

Janis Joplin

George Clinton & P-Funk

John Lee Hooker

WHAT HAPPENED:

Consultant for Jampol Artist Management (The Doors, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic, Charlie Parker, and many others)

Where:

Los Angeles, California

 

What I DO:

Provide industry expertise and support to one of the world's leading legacy artist management firms. 

knowledge gained:

It's not about how you can make a quick or easy buck off a legendary artist; it's about what's good for their legacy. It's part of what Jeff calls the Hippocratic Oath of Rock: Do No Harm.

 

Revelations:

Even at 81 and via Zoom, George Clinton is every bit as cool, funny and funky as you'd hope he'd be. Always great when a legend lives up to their billing.

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